Herbicide-resistant crop technology has led to a 239 million kilogram (527 million pound) increase in herbicide use in the United States between 1996 and 2011, while Bt crops have reduced insecticide applications by 56 million kilograms (123 million pounds). Overall, pesticide use increased by an estimated 183 million kgs (404 million pounds), or about 7%.

GM proponents claim that GM Bt crops reduce insecticide use, as farmers do not have to spray chemical insecticides. But this claim does not stand up to analysis, for several reasons. The first and most important is that the GM Bt gene turns the plant itself into an insecticide. The GM insecticide is present in active form in every part of the crop, including the parts that people and animals eat. So Bt crops do not reduce or eliminate insecticides. They simply change the type of insecticide and the way in which it is used – from sprayed on, to built in.

Herbicide-resistant crop technology has led to a 239 million kilogram (527 million pound) increase in herbicide use in the United States between 1996 and 2011, while Bt crops have reduced insecticide applications by 56 million kilograms (123 million pounds). Overall, pesticide use increased by an estimated 183 million kgs (404 million pounds), or about 7%.

GM proponents claim that GM Bt crops reduce insecticide use, as farmers do not have to spray chemical insecticides. But this claim does not stand up to analysis, for several reasons. The first and most important is that the GM Bt gene turns the plant itself into an insecticide. The GM insecticide is present in active form in every part of the crop, including the parts that people and animals eat. So Bt crops do not reduce or eliminate insecticides. They simply change the type of insecticide and the way in which it is used – from sprayed on, to built in.

In this study, we aimed at assessing the acute toxicity and sublethal behavioral effects of botanical insecticides such as andiroba oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, and rotenone on honey bees, A. mellifera. Only andiroba oil demonstrated no lethality to A. mellifera adult workers. However, andiroba oil, garlic extract, and neem oil demonstrated an acute toxicity to bee larvae. Except for eucalyptus oil, larvae fed with syrup containing the other insecticides led to the development of lower body mass in adult workers. All these botanical insecticides were repellent to A. mellifera adult workers. In addition, the eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, and rotenone decreased the rate of walking activity in adult workers. Our results demonstrate the potential acute toxicity and sublethal effects of botanical insecticides on honey bees and, thereby, provide evidence of the importance of assessing the risks of the side effects of biopesticides, often touted as environmentally friendly, to nontarget organisms such as pollinators.

In this study, we aimed at assessing the acute toxicity and sublethal behavioral effects of botanical insecticides such as andiroba oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, and rotenone on honey bees, A. mellifera. Only andiroba oil demonstrated no lethality to A. mellifera adult workers. However, andiroba oil, garlic extract, and neem oil demonstrated an acute toxicity to bee larvae. Except for eucalyptus oil, larvae fed with syrup containing the other insecticides led to the development of lower body mass in adult workers. All these botanical insecticides were repellent to A. mellifera adult workers. In addition, the eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, and rotenone decreased the rate of walking activity in adult workers. Our results demonstrate the potential acute toxicity and sublethal effects of botanical insecticides on honey bees and, thereby, provide evidence of the importance of assessing the risks of the side effects of biopesticides, often touted as environmentally friendly, to nontarget organisms such as pollinators.

In 1992, the Food and Drug Administration claimed they had no information showing that GM foods were substantially different from conventionally grown foods. Therefore they are safe to eat, and absolutely no safety studies were required. But internal memos made public by a lawsuit[2] reveal that their position was staged by political appointees who were under orders from the White House to promote GMOs. In addition, the FDA official in charge of creating this policy was Michael Taylor, the former attorney for Monsanto, the largest biotech company, and later their vice president. In reality, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged long-term safety studies, but were ignored.

Today, the same biotech companies who have been found guilty of hiding toxic effects of their chemical products are in charge of determining whether their GM foods are safe. Industry-funded GMO safety studies are too superficial to find most of the potential dangers, and their voluntary consultations with the FDA are widely criticized as a meaningless façade.[3]

GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply.

Genetic engineering transfers genes across natural species barriers. It uses imprecise laboratory techniques that bear no resemblance to natural breeding, and is based on outdated concepts of how genes and cells work.[4] Gene insertion is done either by shooting genes from a “gene gun” into a plate of cells or by using bacteria to invade the cell with foreign DNA. The altered cell is then cloned into a plant.

Widespread, unpredictable changes

The genetic engineering process creates massive collateral damage, causing mutations in hundreds or thousands of locations throughout the plant’s DNA.[5] Natural genes can be deleted or permanently turned on or off, and hundreds may change their behavior.[6] Even the inserted gene can be damaged or rearranged,[7] and may create proteins that can trigger allergies or promote disease.

Genetically modified foods on the market

Major commodity crops raised from GMO seed include: corn (92%*), soybeans (94%*), and cotton (94%*). Almost 98% of Canadian grown canola is genetically engineered for herbicide resistance. U.S. sugar beet production is estimated to be over 95% genetically modified for herbicide resistance. GMO sweet corn, papaya, zucchini, and yellow summer squash are also for sale in grocery stores, but in lesser amounts. Genetically modified alfalfa is grown for use as hay and forage for animals. For more information about avoiding GMOs in food, go to NonGMOShoppingGuide.com.

*percentages are based on U.S. acreage as of 2015 (USDA)

Growing evidence of harm from GMOs

GM soy and allergic reactions

Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced.[8]A skin prick allergy test shows that some people react to GM soy, but not to wild natural soy.[9]Cooked GM soy contains as much as 7-times the amount of a known soy allergen.[10]GM soy also contains a new unexpected allergen, not found in wild natural soy.[11]Bt corn and cotton linked to allergies

The biotech industry claims that Bt-toxin is harmless to humans and mammals because the natural bacteria version has been used as a spray by farmers for years. In reality, hundreds of people exposed to Bt spray had allergic-type symptoms,[12] and mice fed Bt had powerful immune responses[13] and damaged intestines.[14] Moreover, the Bt in GM crops is designed to be more toxic than the natural spray and is thousands of times more concentrated.

Farm workers throughout India are getting the same allergic reactions from handling Bt cotton[15] as those who reacted to Bt spray.[16] Mice[17] and rats[18] fed Bt corn also showed immune responses.

GMOs fail allergy tests

No tests can guarantee that a GMO will not cause allergies. Although the World Health Organization recommends a screening protocol,[19] the GM soy, corn, and papaya in our food supply fail those tests—because their GM proteins have properties of known allergens.[20]

GMOs may make you allergic to non-GM foods

GM soy drastically reduces digestive enzymes in mice.[21] If it also impairs your digestion, you may become sensitive and allergic to a variety of foods.Mice fed Bt-toxin started having immune reactions to formerly harmless foods.[22]Mice fed experimental GM peas also started reacting to a range of other foods.[23] (The peas had already passed all the allergy tests normally done before a GMO gets on the market. Only this advanced test, which is never used on the GMOs we eat, revealed that the peas could actually be deadly.)GMOs and liver problems

More than half the babies of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks.[28]Male rats[29] and mice[30] fed GM soy had changed testicles, including altered young sperm cells in the mice.The DNA of mouse embryos functioned differently when their parents ate GM soy[31]The longer mice were fed GM corn, the less babies they had, and the smaller their babies were.[32]Babies of female rats fed GM soy were considerably smaller, and more than half died within three weeks (compared to 10% of the non-GM soy controls).[33]Female rats fed GM soy showed changes in their ovaries and uterus.By the third generation, most hamsters fed GM soy were unable to have babies.Bt crops linked to sterility, disease, and death

Thousands of sheep, buffalo, and goats in India died after grazing on Bt cotton plants after harvest. Others suffered poor health and reproductive problems.[34]Farmers in Europe and Asia say that cows, water buffaloes, chickens, and horses died from eating Bt corn varieties.[35]About two dozen US farmers report that Bt corn varieties caused widespread sterility in pigs or cows.[36]Filipinos in at least five villages fell sick when a nearby Bt corn variety was pollinating.[37]The stomach lining of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer. Rats also had damaged organs and immune systems.[38]

194Functioning GM genes remain inside you

Unlike safety evaluations for drugs, there are no human clinical trials of GM foods. The only published human feeding experiment revealed that the genetic material inserted into GM soy transfers into bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function.[39] This means that long after we stop eating GM foods, we may still have their GM proteins produced continuously inside us.

If the antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could create super diseases, resistant to antibiotics.If the gene that creates Bt-toxin in GM corn were to transfer, it might turn our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories.Animal studies show that DNA in food can travel into organs throughout the body, even into the fetus.[40]

The Bees Are Dying and How Monsanto Will Be Responsible for the Upcoming Famine

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

-- Albert Einstein

Bees have been slowly declining in number since 1972 [1]. The drop in bee populations was traditionally called "fall dwindle disease", which is cited here for the aid of future research; even though the word disease is not applicable. In 2006, a far more rapid bee population decline ensued. The problem was renamed to "colony collapse disorder", or less frequently "honey bee depopulation syndrome". Despite the various mentally-challenged naming conventions of this problem, it nevertheless is becoming a very serious problem for all of us. Prior to 2006, the gradual decline was attributed to a number of causes, including pesticide use and Varroa mites. By early 2007, the decline had reached new proportions. Bees simply disappeared, instead of dying in their hives. Large bee hives became miniature ghost towns, and there is still no official explanation for the disappearance of the bees.

"Beekeepers on the east coast of the United States complain that they have lost more than 70 percent of their stock since late last year, while the west coast has seen a decline of up to 60 percent."

-- Spiegel Magazine (2007) [2]

What Changed?

Many people blame pesticides, but it is important to remember that conventional pesticides were used for many decades prior, and they had never caused such a dramatic depopulation. Although there is a new generation of pesticides that are sprayed onto the soil, resulting in toxins being incorporated into every cell of the plants via the roots. The effects of these new fumigants on the dwindling bee populations are unknown, but our research indicates that there exists an even greater threat than these new-age pesticides.

In late 2002, so-called "Bt corn" was approved for commercial use. Its safety record was based solely on studies that had been done by its manufacturer, Monsanto [3]. B.T. is an abbreviation for Bacill thuringiensis, a bacterial toxin that kills the main predator of corn (a caterpillar). Through genetic modifications, Monsanto incorporated this toxin into the genetic structure of its genetically modified corn product. Monsanto's herbicide resistant, Roundup Ready varieties of crops are already widely known, but few people are aware of their toxic corn that has been genetically engineered to kill all insects that eat it. The corn plants were genetically altered to be inherently poisonous, so it is not possible to wash the produce clean of the pesticide. Technically, the plant is not actually corn anymore, and it would likely fail a DNA test for corn. It looks like corn, but it acts as an insecticide bait within the growing fields. It is also on the dinner tables of millions of people who were given no warning. Monsanto's B.T. "corn" is a genetically engineered, corn-like product that was designed to be an insecticide delivery system that naturally germinates internal bacterial toxins.

The bacterial disease, Bacill thuringiensis, was historically sprayed onto plants prior to its direct incorporation into every plant cell by Monsanto's engineering. Genetically engineered plants containing B.T. were approved for use under the agreement that there could be no health risk to non-target insects. There has been no serious consideration of human health implications by U.S. regulatory agencies at any point. B.T. was briefly studied for its effects upon bees, but only an immediate and direct correlation was studied. The test bees were exposed to B.T. in a controlled setting, and had the bees died within a few days, then a direct correlation would have been inferred. However, this is not how the toxin actually works, so the usual industry 'science' was employed to get the 'right' test results. The sub-lethal effects that cause massive fatalities from long-term side effects were categorically ignored; even though this is how the toxin is supposed to eliminate insects [4]. Monsanto itself was allowed to perform and fund all of its own testing, without any pesky independent 3rd parties to ruin their scientific results. Their "corn" product is now in the food supply for both humans and bees.

"The [Monsanto] study concluded that there was no evidence of a 'toxic effect of Bt corn on healthy honeybee populations'. But when, by sheer chance, the bees used in the experiments were infested with a parasite, something eerie happened. According to the Jena study, a 'significantly stronger decline in the number of bees' occurred among the insects that had been fed a highly concentrated Bt. poison feed."

-- Spiegel Magazine

There has been evidence of Varroa mites attacking bees in the United States for decades. They are a type of parasite that sucks hemolymph (a fluid from the circulatory system) from bees, leading to diseases and deaths. It has been attributed to causing fall dwindle disease. However, some beekeepers have noticed that their bees can survive in the presence of these mites, particularly when the beekeepers did not use antibiotics or gases inside the hives. Only bees with weakened immunities cannot survive Varroa mites. It is the combination of these natural parasites and genetically engineered B.T. pollen that is proving to be especially fatal. When bees have historically died from parasites, diseases or pesticides, the beekeepers saw piles of dead bees outside the hives. The dead had been carried outside by the worker bees.

Technically, the plant is not actually corn anymore, and it would likely fail a DNA test for corn. It looks like corn, but it acts as an insecticide bait within the growing fields. It is also on the dinner tables of millions of people who were given no warning. Monsanto's B.T. "corn" is a genetically engineered, corn-like product that was designed to be an insecticide delivery system that naturally germinates internal bacterial toxins.

Technically, the plant is not actually corn anymore, and it would likely fail a DNA test for corn. It looks like corn, but it acts as an insecticide bait within the growing fields. It is also on the dinner tables of millions of people who were given no warning. Monsanto's B.T. "corn" is a genetically engineered, corn-like product that was designed to be an insecticide delivery system that naturally germinates internal bacterial toxins.

Technically, the plant is not actually corn anymore, and it would likely fail a DNA test for corn. It looks like corn, but it acts as an insecticide bait within the growing fields. It is also on the dinner tables of millions of people who were given no warning. Monsanto's B.T. "corn" is a genetically engineered, corn-like product that was designed to be an insecticide delivery system that naturally germinates internal bacterial toxins.

In 1992, the Food and Drug Administration claimed they had no information showing that GM foods were substantially different from conventionally grown foods. Therefore they are safe to eat, and absolutely no safety studies were required. But internal memos made public by a lawsuit[2] reveal that their position was staged by political appointees who were under orders from the White House to promote GMOs. In addition, the FDA official in charge of creating this policy was Michael Taylor, the former attorney for Monsanto, the largest biotech company, and later their vice president. In reality, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged long-term safety studies, but were ignored.

Today, the same biotech companies who have been found guilty of hiding toxic effects of their chemical products are in charge of determining whether their GM foods are safe. Industry-funded GMO safety studies are too superficial to find most of the potential dangers, and their voluntary consultations with the FDA are widely criticized as a meaningless façade.[3]

GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply.

Genetic engineering transfers genes across natural species barriers. It uses imprecise laboratory techniques that bear no resemblance to natural breeding, and is based on outdated concepts of how genes and cells work.[4] Gene insertion is done either by shooting genes from a “gene gun” into a plate of cells or by using bacteria to invade the cell with foreign DNA. The altered cell is then cloned into a plant.

Widespread, unpredictable changes

The genetic engineering process creates massive collateral damage, causing mutations in hundreds or thousands of locations throughout the plant’s DNA.[5] Natural genes can be deleted or permanently turned on or off, and hundreds may change their behavior.[6] Even the inserted gene can be damaged or rearranged,[7] and may create proteins that can trigger allergies or promote disease.

Genetically modified foods on the market

Major commodity crops raised from GMO seed include: corn (92%*), soybeans (94%*), and cotton (94%*). Almost 98% of Canadian grown canola is genetically engineered for herbicide resistance. U.S. sugar beet production is estimated to be over 95% genetically modified for herbicide resistance. GMO sweet corn, papaya, zucchini, and yellow summer squash are also for sale in grocery stores, but in lesser amounts. Genetically modified alfalfa is grown for use as hay and forage for animals. For more information about avoiding GMOs in food, go to NonGMOShoppingGuide.com.

*percentages are based on U.S. acreage as of 2015 (USDA)

Growing evidence of harm from GMOs

GM soy and allergic reactions

Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced.[8]A skin prick allergy test shows that some people react to GM soy, but not to wild natural soy.[9]Cooked GM soy contains as much as 7-times the amount of a known soy allergen.[10]GM soy also contains a new unexpected allergen, not found in wild natural soy.[11]Bt corn and cotton linked to allergies

The biotech industry claims that Bt-toxin is harmless to humans and mammals because the natural bacteria version has been used as a spray by farmers for years. In reality, hundreds of people exposed to Bt spray had allergic-type symptoms,[12] and mice fed Bt had powerful immune responses[13] and damaged intestines.[14] Moreover, the Bt in GM crops is designed to be more toxic than the natural spray and is thousands of times more concentrated.

Farm workers throughout India are getting the same allergic reactions from handling Bt cotton[15] as those who reacted to Bt spray.[16] Mice[17] and rats[18] fed Bt corn also showed immune responses.

GMOs fail allergy tests

No tests can guarantee that a GMO will not cause allergies. Although the World Health Organization recommends a screening protocol,[19] the GM soy, corn, and papaya in our food supply fail those tests—because their GM proteins have properties of known allergens.[20]

GMOs may make you allergic to non-GM foods

GM soy drastically reduces digestive enzymes in mice.[21] If it also impairs your digestion, you may become sensitive and allergic to a variety of foods.Mice fed Bt-toxin started having immune reactions to formerly harmless foods.[22]Mice fed experimental GM peas also started reacting to a range of other foods.[23] (The peas had already passed all the allergy tests normally done before a GMO gets on the market. Only this advanced test, which is never used on the GMOs we eat, revealed that the peas could actually be deadly.)GMOs and liver problems

More than half the babies of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks.[28]Male rats[29] and mice[30] fed GM soy had changed testicles, including altered young sperm cells in the mice.The DNA of mouse embryos functioned differently when their parents ate GM soy[31]The longer mice were fed GM corn, the less babies they had, and the smaller their babies were.[32]Babies of female rats fed GM soy were considerably smaller, and more than half died within three weeks (compared to 10% of the non-GM soy controls).[33]Female rats fed GM soy showed changes in their ovaries and uterus.By the third generation, most hamsters fed GM soy were unable to have babies.Bt crops linked to sterility, disease, and death

Thousands of sheep, buffalo, and goats in India died after grazing on Bt cotton plants after harvest. Others suffered poor health and reproductive problems.[34]Farmers in Europe and Asia say that cows, water buffaloes, chickens, and horses died from eating Bt corn varieties.[35]About two dozen US farmers report that Bt corn varieties caused widespread sterility in pigs or cows.[36]Filipinos in at least five villages fell sick when a nearby Bt corn variety was pollinating.[37]The stomach lining of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer. Rats also had damaged organs and immune systems.[38]

194Functioning GM genes remain inside you

Unlike safety evaluations for drugs, there are no human clinical trials of GM foods. The only published human feeding experiment revealed that the genetic material inserted into GM soy transfers into bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function.[39] This means that long after we stop eating GM foods, we may still have their GM proteins produced continuously inside us.

If the antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could create super diseases, resistant to antibiotics.If the gene that creates Bt-toxin in GM corn were to transfer, it might turn our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories.Animal studies show that DNA in food can travel into organs throughout the body, even into the fetus.[40]GM food supplement caused deadly epidemic

In the 1980s, a contaminated brand of a food supplement called L-tryptophan killed about 100 Americans and caused sickness and disability in another 5,000-10,000 people. The source of contaminants was almost certainly the genetic engineering process used in its production.[41] The disease took years to find and was almost overlooked. It was only identified because the symptoms were unique, acute, and fast-acting. If all three characteristics were not in place, the deadly GM supplement might never have been identified or removed.

If GM foods on the market are causing common diseases or if their effects appear only after long-term exposure, we may not be able to identify the source of the problem for decades, if at all. There is no monitoring of GMO-related illnesses and no long-term animal studies. Heavily invested biotech corporations are gambling with the health of our nation for their profit.

The health information featured on this page is excerpted from Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risk of Genetically Engineered Foods, by Jeffrey M. Smith.

Technically, the plant is not actually corn anymore, and it would likely fail a DNA test for corn. It looks like corn, but it acts as an insecticide bait within the growing fields. It is also on the dinner tables of millions of people who were given no warning. Monsanto's B.T. "corn" is a genetically engineered, corn-like product that was designed to be an insecticide delivery system that naturally germinates internal bacterial toxins.